


Under the stars

by asraidevin



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Drabble, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 14:44:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4267245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asraidevin/pseuds/asraidevin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a few short drabbles of Cullen and Inquisitor's first kiss and the progression of their relationship. nothing heavy. or long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the stars

Dani climbed the stairs. It was dusk; the courtyard was nearly empty. People were winding down and it was almost quiet.

Her favorite time of day. She leaned against the outer wall, overlooking the valley. She watched the sky grow darker the stars peeked out from behind the curtain one at a time.

While she enjoyed the peace in solitude, she sometimes wished she could share this with someone. She wished she had something outside being the Inquisitor and leading this foray into madness. Or victory.

A door opened and closed. And there stood her Commander, her master of arms. He was looking at a piece of parchment, then he crushed it in his hands. He was about to throw it over the side of the wall when he noticed her.

"Forgive me Inquisitor." He dropped his hands and his head.

"For what?" She turned and leaned against the wall behind her, hoping she looked casual. If he could hear her heart thudding in her chest, he'd know the truth.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Intruding. And you witnessing my temper."

"Withdrawal?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Worse."

"Worse? What could be worse?"

"Josephine. She's insisting I attend the Empresses ball with you. We need soldiers there."

"Then you won't really be attending will you? You'll be with the soldiers outside the palace."

"She thinks I should be inside, so I can sound the alarm if need be." His fingered clenched around the report he'd crumpled.

"I suppose that's reasonable."

"That's the problem. I hate 'The Game'. Part of why I agreed to join the Inquisition was to get away from the petty politics."

"It won't be all bad. I'm sure the food will be delicious."

He sighed and bowed a little. "You came up here to be alone, I'm sure. Not to listen to me whine."

"Stay and enjoy the view." She gestured to the sky that turned that held a hint of the blueness of the day, but held all shades of blue until it darkened to black. Stars started to peek out from behind the curtain of sunshine. The valley below them had turned from their arrival in winter, now into lush green of spring. Bird songs accompanied the other noises of Skyhold.

He looked doubtful.

"It will help you calm down about the ball. I come up every evening I can to watch the sky turn dark."

He leaned on the wall. "Is that where you disappear to after the evening meal?"

Eating together was something she insisted on. She wanted to foster a family feeling between her companions and advisors. They were all so different, with different ideas, but they needed to be united. Eating together was the only way she could think of to get them to sit down and get to know each other.

"Yes. After the chaos, I come here to clear my head."

"I can see why. I still don't want to intrude."

Her heart pounded in her throat as she looked over at him. He was so beautiful. She moved closer to him, and reached out. He looked down at her hand as she reached toward him and it all happened in slow motion. She was afraid he would pull away, but in the blink of an eye, she had her hand over his.

He looked up from where their hands touched and into her eyes.

"You aren't intruding. Have you ever known me not to be blunt?”

"I suppose not."

"Remember when I said I wanted to spend more time with you. I really meant it."

He pulled away and her heart sank. She looked away from him, trying to hide her tears. She started to form a reason to leave his side when she felt his fingertips brush against her hand.

She looked between them. He dropped his gloves and was touching her. He slipped his fingers between hers. Her heard sped up and she almost gasped for breath. He tugged her closer and she put her head against his shoulder.

He slipped his other hand into hers and wrapped his other around her waist. "I'll make it a priority when you are in residence."

She felt as if she had climbed onto the railing and jumped into the valley. Free falling. Dizzy and excited and afraid.

"It's easy to forget you are a woman and not just the Inquisitor."

"Thanks."

"It's easier to just put people in their roles. Cassandra is the Seeker. Leliana is the spy. I'm the guy with the sword." He groaned. "I'm not good with people. Less so with everything else happening."

"It's okay. I don't want to pass up the opportunity to get to know you better."

"I'd hate to miss that as well. But I am not good at this. I've never done this."

"Never?"

"I was too busy serving. I joined very young. And I decided that I would to give my life, I would to put everything into it. That didn't leave a lot of room for personal relationships. I never wanted to subject anyone to the rigors of Templar life."

"Whatever the cost, you are worth the trouble."

He pulled her tighter against her side. "I'm sorry for taking so long to show you, that you are worth the trouble as well."

They fell into a long silence, watching the darkness fall and deep in their own thoughts.

Cullen broke the silence. "It's late. I have to be up early for a training exercise."

Dani blinked, feeling so relaxed, she might as well have been sleeping. "You're right. Thank you for staying here."

*He let go of her and picked up his gloves, but when she moved away he pulled her close again. "I'll walk you to your quarters."

"I run around all over killing demons and bandits. I think I can handle a walk across the courtyard."

"Dani, this isn't about if you need protection. I want a few more minutes." He looked embarrassed. "With you."

"Oh. Right," she squeaked. "Thank you." She squeezed her eyes shut. Maker's breath, he was taking this seriously, and here she was taking the magic out of it with her stupid instincts.

The courtyard was empty as they strolled leisurely, never letting go of one another. They passed Varric in the hall, but he didn't look up when they passed.

He stopped in front of her chamber. "Thank you for a lovely evening." He opened her door. He stepped part way into her room and kissed her forehead.

At first she was confused, but then she realized he wanted to keep their relationship quiet for now. She couldn't disagree. Gossip of any sort, raged like wildfire through the camp. She and any of her companions couldn't risk being a target for idle tongues.

"Good night Cullen."

Not inviting him in was difficult. She closed the door as the falling sensation returned while she thought of his beautiful eyes. She was falling in love.


End file.
